Over the Rainbow - Book One - 'The Gathering Place'

by Robert Vaughan

  Chris smiled, remembering the line that Angel the Barmaid had just recently used. “I've got time…”

  Alani whirled on him, wiping a tear from her eye, and asked with a hint of scorn, “Why do you even care? Don't you have anything better to do?”

  “Does it look like I have anything better to do?”

  Alani looked at Chris, and then past him, back toward the hotel, a wry smirk twisting a corner of her face. “Guess not.”

  “Geez, you don't have to make it sound so- pathetic.”

  Alani smiled ironically and rested her chin sullenly in her hands. “Don't worry, my story is way more pathetic than yours.” She paused and took a long, slow breath and then continued as she stared off into the distance, “My father, he's always been really- protective of me. I guess you'd say he was kind of strict.” She glanced up at Chris with a sardonic frown. “Don't say it- I know, it's silly, but- it's just how it is, okay?” Alani looked away again, staring vaguely into the distance. “Anyway, there's no point in going, since tonight is the only time I could go- and I would have to be back too soon anyway, since tomorrow's Sunday, an' we have church an' all. So I guess that's why I never go.” She turned her face up to him, a look of sad resignation marring her lovely features and concluded morosely, “There, satisfied?”

  “Uh- sure.” An awkward pause ensued, and then an impish grin creased the corner of his mouth and he said, “Wow.”

  Alani looked sharply up at Chris, her eyes creasing in suspicion of what he implied, “What?!”

  “Nothing…”

  “WHAT?!!!”

  Chris shrugged shyly, “Well, I guess I find it kinda hard to believe that you've never been to a club before.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, it's just that…” He looked at her curiously, the recent thoughts and fading images still flickering in the depths of his mind, and then he replied, “Never mind. Anyway, since neither one of us has anything better to do- can I at least give you a ride home?”

  Alani considered his request again, briefly, and then responded resolutely, “No, I'll just…” and then she went suddenly silent as a single distinct chime of a crystalline bell echoed across the deserted parking lot. Alani abruptly stood without warning, slung her yellow backpack over her shoulder and said unexpectedly, “Okay... but under one condition.”

  Chris smiled warmly and said magnanimously, “Name it.”

  Alani thrust her chin outward and declared, “I get to drive.”

  “No way.”

  Alani continued with almost condescending persuasion, “Listen. Do you have any idea where you're going?”

  “Well, no, not exactly, but…”

  “Well, I do,” Alani stated confidently as she strode briskly to the side of the shiny red car.

  Chris sputtered, “But-!”

  Alani ran her hand admiringly over the car, her hand stopping on the door handle. “That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.” Without looking up at Chris, she held out her hand and said, “Keys?”

  “But- Have you ever driven a car like this?”

  Alani opened the door of the car and slid smoothly into the driver’s seat, running her hands almost sensually over the controls as she said reassuringly, “Sure, lots of times.”

  Chris shrugged in defeat and crossed around the car, slumping into the passenger seat as he extended his hand limply in her direction, the key fob dangling from his fingers. Alani mocked his pout with a reproving glance. “Oh don't be such a baby. I'm not going to break it.” She snatched the keys and grinned in gentle victory as she said softly, “Thank you.” Dropping the keys down the top of her dress, she pressed the ‘Start’ button and wriggled in pleasure as the sleeping beast awoke with a rumble and a growl. “Nice,” she purred, revving the engine almost to redline a couple of times before slamming the car into gear and peeling out in a hail of gravel.

  Chris scrambled to fasten his seatbelt as they flew out of the parking lot, screeching and squealing onto the main road and flying off into the night, muttering in mock-dismay, “We're going to die.”

  As they flew up the road in silence, Chris shot a sidelong glance at Alani, watching her as she drove, smiling in mild surprise with the discovery that her skills were truly impressive as she handled the powerful car with ease and dexterity. As she smoothly downshifted for a sharp corner and powered through it with a g-force inducing lurch, Alani yelled over the roar of the engine, “You got any MUSIC?”

  Chris pulled out his phone, un-wrapped the brand-new auxiliary cable he had bought to make up for his previous oversight, and jacked the phone into the dash. Scrolling through the selections with a grin, he tapped a spot on the touch-screen.

  The thumping rhythms and wailing vocals of Tracy Bonham erupted from the Bose-powered speaker system of the car, drowning out the sounds of the engine as a tune that would prove as providential as it was appropriate underscored their drive- it was Blue Man Group’s ‘Up To The Roof’.

  Twisting and turning on the winding island road, the headlights illuminated series after series of directional arrows that guided them around tight corners and the flashing blur of speed limit signs that went largely ignored. They flew through the landscape, gears clashing and tires squealing as Alani slowed for sharp corners and sleepy Island communities, and then roaring off again into the bright moonlit night. The drive was wild, dangerous, almost- sexy, thought Chris. And one which he now realized was re-winding the route he had followed upon his arrival.

  As they began the precipitous climb up the Pali highway, powerfully accelerating into the warm Hawaiian night, the twinkling lights of houses along the beach and the scattering of fishing boats off the shore became clear in the distance. Chris leaned over and asked, somehow instinctively knowing the answer before Alani’s reply, “You, uh, you live out here?”

  Alani replied without emotion, “No.” Staring down the lonely road, she continued with a tiny shrug, “I'm just not in the mood to go home right now, okay?”

  Curious now, Chris inquired, “O-kay... So where are we going?”

  Alani smiled coyly as she looked at him with a hint of mischief and replied, “Dancing.”

  “Dancing?”

  “Yeah, you know, dancing? That thing you do where white guys look stupid and black guys look cool?”

  Chris replied sophomorishly, immediately regretting his statement, “But, you said you've never been-”

  Alani responded in annoyance, “Just because I've never been to a club doesn't mean I don't know where they are!”

  Chris went silent as the car dove into the tunnel, the growl of the engine and the sound of the music reverberating in the hollow cylinder. This, he thought, should be interesting…

  In the darkened living room of the Nakamura household, a delicate teacup and matching saucer rested coldly on a side table as Kenji’s hands fumbled with a faded New York Yankees baseball cap, his gaze directed out the window into the dark Hawaiian night. As he delicately placed the cap on an arm of his chair and slowly reached for the phone, the voice of Noelani rang from the darkness and arrested his move.

  “What are you doing?”

  “She should be home by now.”

  “For God's sake, Kenji, she's twenty-four years old! Stop treating her like she's still fifteen.”

  Kenji looked away, silent. He picked up the phone and began to dial, his lips compressed into a tight, bloodless line.

  Noelani kissed him softly on the top of the head and said gently, “Kenji, when are you gonna realize that you can't protect her forever. What's done is done. You gotta stop tugging on the leash. You keep it up and one of these days it's gonna break, and then you're gonna lose her for good.”

  Kenji continued to stare into the distance as he replied, “I think… I think I may already have.”

  Below – Part Two

  The dark opening of the tunnel glowed wanly in the moonlight, and the still of the night was suddenly shattered by the echoing roar of the Mustang’s powerful engine. T
he car’s piercing headlights speared out of the hole in the mountain, preceding the car as it exploded from the opening. As the car flashed down the road toward the glitter and glare of the city in the distance, the lilting strains of Dido’s ‘Hunter’ dopplered and faded into the night.

  Chris continued to quietly regard the enigmatic vision of Alani next to him when her phone lit up and began to jitterbug in silence on the center console. Alani gave it a casual glance of dismissal, and Chris yelled over the wind and roar of the car, muting the music to a silent glare of annoyance from Alani, “Uh- You're phone's ringing!”

  Alani yelled back, “I know!”

  “Are you gonna answer it?”

  Alani downshifted, missing a gear, and growled, “I'm a little busy right now!”

  The phone rang again.

  “You want me to get it?”

  “NO! It's just- it's fine, okay?”

  “Whatever you say…”

  The Mustang flew to a stop in front of the glaring lights of the ‘Blue Monkey’ disco, the glittering red car skidding to a stop on the damp road. Alani gave the engine a final throaty rev and flashed a triumphant grin to Chris, who leaned back exhaustedly into the passenger seat as he exclaimed breathlessly, “Ho-ly SHIT-! Where'd you learn to drive?”

  Alani replied smugly with a playful wink, “X-Box.”

  “You learned to drive like that from a video game!?”

  “I told you I had driven a car like this before.” Chris just stared in astonishment, and Alani continued with a mocking smirk, “What’s the difference? They have flight simulators don't they?”

  A smiling valet opened the door for Alani, the strobing lights of the disco reminiscent of the flashbulbs of paparazzi at a movie premiere, and Alani stood and took in the unfamiliar scene. Chris handed the man a bill as Alani fished the key fob out of her dress. Chris took the keys, still warm from their fortunate embrace with Alani’s bosom and handed them to the waiting valet as he admonished him, “And don't forget to put the top up, okay?” He waved as the car squealed off, “Take good care of it- Mahalo!” He turned to Alani and noticed a reproachful frown on her lovely face. “What?” he asked.

  Alani smirked and replied with a twisted grin, “Nothing.”

  Chris countered insistently, "What!?”

  “Just- do me a favor. Don't try to say Hawaiian words any more. They just sound stupid coming from a haole, okay?” Alani smiled to soften the blow and nodded to the entrance of the club. “C'mon. Let's have some fun.”

  Across the street from the noisy disco, a tall, solidly-built Hawaiian man watched Alani and Chris with measured intent as they disappeared through the thronging masses at the door. Hastily dismissing the crowd of nattily-dressed gangstas gathered around him with gang-style fist bumps, he shoved a wad of bills into the back pocket of his too-tight leather pants, raked his hands through the gleaming curls atop his head, and strode powerfully across the street as a huge predatory smile spread slowly across his face.

  Alani cringed under the assault of the thumping techno music as she made her way into the club, drawing stares and covetous looks from both males and females alike as she squared her shoulders and led Chris toward the packed dance floor in the distance. Chris stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and yelled over the din, “THIRSTY!?”

  Alani cupped a hand to her ear, leaning in to hear the unintelligible sounds. “What-?”

  “Thirsty! Are- you…” Chris mimed the tipping of a glass, “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Sure.”

  As they approached the throng of people surrounding the bar, Alani stared in awe at the multitude of brightly colored bottles that glittered jewel-like behind the counter. Chris elbowed his way through the crowd, dragging Alani along by the hand, and asked, “What do you want?”

  Alani replied distractedly, still agog at the alien atmosphere, “What, me? Oh, I don't know... I don't drink.”

  “You don't- drink. You're not like a Mormon or something, are you?”

  Alani laughed and shook her head, smiling to herself in remembrance of things past.

  Chris leaned in, forced to improvise, and said to the bartender, “Okay... I'll have a- a Coke, with a wedge of lime, slice of pineapple, lots of ice, and a cherry! She'll have the same- got it?”

  A moment later the bartender placed the drinks on the bar, candy-cane colored straws and tiny umbrellas protruding from the tops of the glasses and said, “Twelve-fifty.”

  Chris grinned at Alani and said with sarcasm, “Gee- we got off cheap.” Tossing fifteen onto the bar, Chris grabbed both drinks and led Alani away with a nod of his head.

  Perching themselves at a high-top near the dance floor, Chris inquired, “So, how come you don't drink? I suppose you've never done that before either.”

  “Once or twice. I just don't like- the taste much, you know?” She sipped demurely at the impromptu beverage and smiled, “This is really good, thanks. Does it have a name?”

  “A name?”

  Alani held up the drink menu. “Yeah, a name- like...” she squinted at the card, smirking, “Sex on the Beach, or- A Screaming Orgasm?”

  “Oh, you mean like a real drink?” Chris looked at her for a long moment and then said, “I think you just inspired one...”

  As Alani opened her mouth to reply, the music suddenly stopped and changed as another driving techno beat began to reverberate off the walls. Alani lit up with recognition and grabbed Chris by the hand, dragging him towards the dance floor as she squealed with excitement, “I love this song!” she cried, already moving and shaking before they merged with the dancers already clumped and clustered in the tiny space.

  Chris looked at Alani in amusement as he smirked at the familiar music blaring from the multitude of speakers, muttering to himself as Alani hauled him into the middle of the pack, “Learned to drive from a video game… knows the music from ‘Halo’… Welcome to the gamer age…” he said, his expression suddenly changing to one of awe as she began an earth-shaking, booty-quaking dance that made the rest of the participants clear a space just to watch.

  Not even bothering to move, just slightly swaying in time to the beat, Chris watched with mounting admiration as Alani began to really tear it up, tossing and flinging her luxurious tresses as she sinuously waved her arms above her head, her eyes closed all the while. Chris glanced around at the other dancers on the floor, all of whom were experiencing exactly what he was thinking- she was amazing.

  On and on she danced, all the while with eyes closed as she whirled and writhed to a rhythm inside of her head, improvising along with the driving techno beat as she shimmied and swayed in a world of her own imagining. The song finally ended and reverberated into silence, eliciting a smattering of applause that evoked a shy smile from Alani in acknowledgement. Just as quickly the music started back up again, this time another tune familiar to Chris- Venus Hum belting a cover of “I Feel Love” by the Blue Man Group’s album ‘The Complex’.

  Without missing a beat, Alani launched into another wild, frenzied dance, hips and hair swinging, her arms again weaving and twining with each other, her eyes closed rapturously as she immersed herself in her new-found world. Again she danced in time to the rhythm in her head, her movements sinuous and sensual, almost sexual in their nature, and the gathered crowd gradually parted and stood by and merely watched in silent appreciation at her virtuoso performance.

  When the song finally ended, wild applause ensued, this time accompanied by a chorus of whistles and cheers. Alani curtsied and bowed, shyly basking in the adulation from her impromptu audience. She leaned to Chris and took his arm, whispering, “Let's take a break...” as she led him from the floor.

  As they settled back into their seats, Alani chugged her drink, slurping the last drops noisily, and then exclaimed with wide-bright eyes, “That was- Wow! That was so much fun! Way better than the same-old, same-old I do every night at the Honu-Kai.” She paused and wrinkled her nose slightly, and for the first time Chr
is noticed a light sprinkling of the faintest of freckles dusted across her flawless features. “Hey- I gotta…” Alani went silent and nodded toward the ladies room, grabbing her tiny purse and moving off as Chris saluted her with his glass. As he paused in reflection of witnessing the amazing spectacle, the music struck up again. This time it was the eighties hit- ‘Psycho Killer’ by The Talking Heads.

  As Alani made her way through the crowd, it almost seemed to part for her, nods and smiles from those who had just witnessed her virtuosity raising glasses in tribute as she passed. And back at the bar, another individual watched her as well. His focus, however, was quiet and intense, a malevolent scowl and creasing of brows crossing his face as he watched Alani with laser-like intensity.

  He was known on the street merely as ‘Mako’, as in the shark, and had the same predatory air and dark, soulless eyes of his namesake. Throwing money carelessly onto the bar, he moved with grace and power through the crowded disco, bulling and elbowing his way through the multitude like a barracuda through minnows, scattering the throng into eddies and pools of fear and consternation as he passed.

  Alani entered the tiny ladies room, timidly worming her way through the horde of overly-painted ladies chattering and primping in front of the singular dirty mirror. After finishing her business in the cramped and questionably sanitary stall, she found a space at the end of the long counter, paused and looked at her own reflection, eyes skillfully assessing her attributes with approval. She fished out a small black eyeliner from her tiny purse and accentuated a faint mole just to the side of her sensuous mouth, emphasizing a beauty mark that was already faintly visible. She then pursed her lips in the obligatory duck-face and brushed a bit of gloss on her full brown lips. Satisfied with her ministrations, she turned her head from side to side checking for any final touches that might be needed. As was typical, there were none- oh, she wished she could banish the faint spray of freckles that adorned her cheeks, but that would just ruin the bronze glow of her skin, and she had long ago decided that she could live with the tiny sprinkling of what her mother affectionately referred to as her ‘angel kisses’.